1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus for pairing socks, hosiery and gloves, and more particularly, relates to an improved staggered fastening structure for holding hosiery pairs together during laundry and storage.
2. Background of the Related Art
The household chore of matching pairs of socks or hosiery that have been laundered is tedious and timeconsuming. A variety of mechanical holding apparatus has been designed to retain pairs of socks and hosiery together during and after laundering. Clips and pins may damage the socks during laundering and may not be available when the socks are placed in a laundry bin. Perforated packets or bags which can be used in the washing machines are another solution to this problem, however, these are time intensive and require bagging each pair of socks prior to washing.
Another attempt to solve this problem is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,348 to Klotz which utilizes bands that are wrapped around the shank of the socks to keep the pair together during washing. Such bands, however, must be available when the socks are placed in the laundry bin, otherwise, the socks must be paired prior to washing.
To solve this problem, various fasteners have been described as being affixed directly on each of the socks. For example, snaps and hook and eye fasteners have been disclosed. However, snaps and hook and eye fasteners are usually stiff and inflexible resulting in pulling during washing and drying. This results in stretching and tearing of the socks. Additionally, stiff and inflexible fasteners may be uncomfortable if pressed into the wearer's leg.
Tie strings have also been disclosed as being sewn to the socks pair. However, these are cumbersome and may become tangled or permanently knotted together.
More recently, Boxer et. al. in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,165,555 and 4,058,853 have taken advantage of hook-and pile VELCRO type fasteners which are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,000,384 and 3,009,235. The Boxer et. al. patents describe the general concept of attaching socks, gloves and other items together using a patch containing a hook type fastener on one sock and a patch containing a loop type fastener on another. See, for example, FIGS. 1 and 2. Both patents also describe the use of a sewn on backing or a heat activated adhesive such as an iron on patch or other adhesives to attach the fasteners to the socks. Both Boxer et. al. patents are particularly concerned with covering the hook portions of the fastener with a cover containing complementary piece of material, i.e. a loop structure, and having such flap being an integral part of the patch. This is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
A disadvantage of the Boxer et. al. concept is that the VELCRO portion is relatively inelastic while the shank of typical socks stretch when placed on the user's calf. Thus, the VELCRO strap may tear off or become partially detached after use. In addition, due to the inflexibility of the fasteners of Boxer et. al., if the fasteners are sewn on or adhered too strongly to be pulled off during repeated use, the sock fabric would be pulled, stretched and eventually may even tear. Also, the VELCRO patch described by Boxer et. al. is highly visible and may be unfashionable when the socks are exposed, i.e. when shorts or a skirt is worn.
Socks utilizing VELCRO attachment means for purposes other than holding pairs of socks together are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,106,126 and 3,938,264.